Door-operating mechanism.



F. SEABERG.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR a 1909 1,094,483. Patented Apr.28, 1914.

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F. SEABERG.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1909.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

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DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. s, 1909.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

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F. SEABERG.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. B, 1909.

1,094,483. Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

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F. SEABERG.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION EILED MAE. s, 1909.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

.A rED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK SEABERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASS-IGNOR T0 NATIONAL DUMP CARCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed March 8, 1909. Serial No. 481,919.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK SEABERG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-OperatingMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved operating mechanismfor the doors of dump cars.

\Vhile the invention is of wide application, it is more especiallydesigned for use in that class of cars in which a horizontal floor ismade partially or wholly of downwardly opening doors.

By my improved mechanism, means are provided for raising the doors by awinding shaft and chain, during which operation the shaft is positivelylocked out of the path of movement of the doors, and afterward movingthe shaft beneath the doors to support them in closed position andrelieve the operating chains from strain.

Otherand further objects of my invention will appear from the followingdescription and, claims, taken in connection with the drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side View of part of a car embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is an end view partially in section showing the dump doors open.Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing one of the dump doorsclosed. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing one of the doors. Fig.5 is an elevation of one of the doors and cooperating mechanism inclosed position. Fig. 6 is an elevation partially in section showing oneof the cross sills and part of the adjacent doors. Fig. 7 is a sectionon the line 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 of Fig. 10.Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9 of Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a fragmentaryplan view showing the end of one of the cross sills together with thetwo adjoining doors and the associated mechanism.

The car in connection with which I have illustrated my inventioncomprises a center sill 1 formed of two channel beams connected by acover plate 2. Resting upon the center sill and extending transverselyof the car are the cross sills 3. A central floor plate 4: extendslongitudinally of the car above the center sill and is supported uponthe cross sills 3, and if desired may be braced directly from the centersill. The car sldes 5 are supported upon the Outer ends of the crosssills and may be reinforced by stakes 6 also secured to the cross sills.At the base of the sides and resting directly upon the ends of the crosssills I have shown angle 1rons 7, which form the lower part of the sidewall and add stifiness thereto. As shown in detail in Fig. 6, the crosssills comprise a central web reinforced at its upper edge by angle irons8.

The doors 9 are in the present instance shown as hinged to standards 10secured to and projecting above the center sill, the hinges 11 of thedoors being arranged beneath the projecting edges of the cover plate 4:where they are protected from clogging by the contents of the car. Thedoors in closing contact with the under surfaces of the central coverplate 4, the angle irons 8 on the cross sills and the angle irons 7 atthe base of the side wall.

Pivoted to the cross sills 3 adjacent their Outer ends, but within theouter edge of the door openings formed between the side walls, the crosssills and the central cover plate are hangers 12. In order to afford asecure bearing for the hangers 12, straps 13 are secured to the crossbearers by means of rivets or bolts 14: which pass through the web andreinforcing angles 8 of the cross sills. The outer ends of the straps 13are bent outwardly from the cross sills, and bolts 15 passing throughthe outer ends of said straps and through the cross sills affordbearings for the hangers 12 in the space between the outer ends of thestraps 13 and the cross sills. Pivoted in the free ends of the hangers12 at each side of the car is a winding and door supporting shaft 16,and chains 17 are each secured at one end to said shaft 16 and at theopposite end to lugs 18 secured to and projecting downwardly from thefree edges of the dump doors.

Owing to the position of the pivots 15 of the hangers 12 inside of theouter edges of the door openings, the shaft 16, under the influence ofgravity, normally drops to a position directly in the path of movementof the outer edges of the doors as they are moved to and from closedposition. In on der to hold the shaft 16 out of the path of movement ofthe doors for the purpose of permitting them to be closed, I providelocks or latches pivoted at 21 to the cross sills. The outer end ofthese look levers being of greater weight than the inner end, theynormally tend to fall under the influence of gravity to the positionshown in dotted lines in F ig. 8, in which position they bear on thehangers 12 and serve to securely and positively iold the shaft 16 in theposition shown in dotted lines in that view where it is out of the pathof movement of the doors. Preferably, one of the locking levers 20 isprovided upon each of the cross sills, and each of the dump doors isprovided with a trip 22 secured to the reinforcing angle 23 thereon andprojecting outwardly from the door sufficiently to contact wit-l1 andraise the lock 20 when the door approaches closed position. Uponrotating the shaft 16 therefore, the doors are raised by means of thechains 17 which wind thereon, and just as the door approaches closedposition, the trips 22 thereon raise the outer ends of the locks 20,thus permitting the shaft 16 to drop under the influence of gravity andthe inward pull of the chain 17, thereby assuming the position shown atthe leftof Fig. 2. In this position the operat ing shaft is directlybeneath the outer edges of the doors and in contact with the shoes 18 towhich the chains 17 are attached. As clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 7, theunder surface of the shoes 18 tapers outwardly toward the under surfaceof the door, thus affording an inclined surface against which the shaft16 exercises a wedging action as it is drawn inwardly after the releaseof the locks 20.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotatin the shaft 16. In thepresent in stance I have shown spur gears 2 1 and 25 secured to saidshaft where it projects beyond the end of the car. A lever 27 rotatablymounted upon said shaft bears a reversible pawl 26 whereby the shaft maybe rotated in either direction through power applied to the lever 27. A.detent 28 is pivoted to an arm 29 secured to the shaft 16 and serves torestrain the shaft against reverse movement when it is being rotated towind the chains for the purpose of closing the doors.

For the purpose of displacing the shaft 16 from its position beneath theouter edges of the doors as illustrated at the left of F ig. 2, for thepurpose of permitting the doors to drop, I secure to said shaft frictionwheels 30, and coacting friction members 31 are secured to the crosssills 3. The members 30 and 31 may take the form of gears or may simplyhave serrated surfaces, it being understood, of course, that the surfaceof the friction member 31 is concentric with the pivot 15 of the hangers13 in which the shaft 16 is mounted. Referring to the door shown at theleft of Fig. 2, and also to Fig.

9, it will be apparent that when the shaft 16 is rotated in a clockwisedirection the engagement between the friction wheel 30 and the frictionmember 31 will cause the shaft 16 to move outwardly out of the path ofmovement of the door and will at the same time permit the chains 17 tounwind. As soon as the shaft 16 is clear of the door, the latter will,under its own weight and that of the load thereon, drop to openposition. As soon as the doors have dropped sufliciently to carry thetrips 22 away from the locks 20, the latter will fall to the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, thus positively holding the shaft 16out of the path of movement of the doors until they are again raised.

I would have it understood that I do not desire to limit myself to theprecise con struction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings andherein described, as various modifications or alterations may be madewithout departing from my original invention,

I claim:

. 1. A drop bottom car ooor mechanism comprising in combination with thecar door, members pivoted at their upper ends to the car structureadjacent the free edge of the door to swing away from the door to permitthe door to open, and flexible door closing mechanism connected to saidswinging members and to the door to cause the lower ends of said membersto swing under the door when closed.

2. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with door openings,doors hinged adjacent one edge of said openings, shaft bearings pivotedadjacent the opposite edge of said openings, a shaft mounted in saidbearings, chains secured to said doors and shaft, means for moving saidshaft beneath the door to support the same in closed posi tion, and tomove said shaft out of the path of said door.

3. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with door openings,doors hinged adjacent one edge of said openings, shaft bearings pivotedadjacent the opposite edge of said openings, a shaft mounted in saidbearings, chains secured to said doors and shaft, means for holding saidsha't out of the path of said doors, and means controlled by themovement of the doors for llowing said shaft to move beneath the doors.

1. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with a dooropening, a door hinged adjacent one edge of said opening, shaft bearingspivoted adjacent the opposite edge of said opening, a shaft mounted insaid bearings, and movable between a position beneath said door and aposition out of the path thereof, a chain secured to said shaft anddoor, a stop normally holding said shaft out of the path of said door,means for rotating said shaft to wind said chain thereon, and a trip onsaid door adapted to move said stop to release said shaft.

5. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with a dooropening, a door hinged adjacent one edge of said opening, a windingshaft adjacent the opposite edge of said opening and movable from aposition beneath the door when closed to a position out of the paththereof, a chain secured to said shaft and door, means for rotating saidshaft, means positively locking said shaft out of the path of said doorwhen the free edge of said door is beneath said shaft, and means forreleasing said locking means.

6. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with a dooropening, a door hinged adjacent one edge of said opening, a windingshaft adjacent the opposite edge of said opening and movable from aposition beneath the door when closed to position out of the paththereof, a chain secured to said shaft and door, means for rotating saidshaft, means positively locking said shaft out of the path of said doorwhen the free edge of said door is beneath said shaft, means forreleasin said locking means, and means whereby the rotation of saidshaft to unwind said chain causes said shaft to move out of the path ofsaid door.

7. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with a dooropening, a door hinged adjacent one edge of said opening, hangerspivoted inside the opposite edge of said opening, a winding shaftmounted in said hangers, means normally locking said shaft in raisedposition out of the path of said door, a chain secured to said shaft anddoor, means controlled by said door for re-- leasing said locking means,a friction wheel upon said shaft and a coacting friction member operableto impart a bodily mov ment to said shaft when said locking means arereleased and said shaft is rotated.

8. In a car of the class described, a center sill, cross sills and sidewalls, doors hinged at their inner ec ges in the openings between saidsills and side wall, hangers pivoted to said cross sills adjacent theirouter ends but inside of the outer edge of said door openings, a windingshaft mounted in said hangers, locks pivoted to said cross sills andnormally holding said shaft out of the path of movement of said doors,and trips on said doors, said locks lying in the path of said trips.

9. In a car of the class described, a center sill, cross sills and sidewalls, doors hinged at their inner edges in the openings between saidsills and side wall, hangers pivoted to said cross sills adjacent theirouter ends but inside of the outer edge of said door openings, a windingshaft mounted in said hangers, locks pivoted to said cross sills andnormally holding said shaft out of the path of movement of said doors,trips on said doors, said locks lying in the path of said trips,friction wheels on said shaft, and coacting friction members secured tosaid cross sills.

10. In a. car, the combination with a hinged door, of a rotatablymounted shaft, pivotally mounted means for supporting the same, saidsupporting means being designed for adapting the shaft to move bodily toand from a position beneath the door, and flexible connecting meansbetween the shaft and door.

11. In a car, the combination with a hinged bottom door, of a rotatablymounted shaft, vertically swinging links sustaining said shaft andadapted to swing for causing the shaft to move bodily to and from a position beneath the door, means for rotating the shaft, and a flexibleconnection between the shaft and door.

12. In a drop bottom car, the combination with the car door, of dooroperating and supporting mechanism comprising a rotary shaft, chainssecured to said shaft and engaging said door to close the same when thechains are wound upon the shaft and to permit the opening of said doorwhen the chains are unwound from the shaft, and a pair of transverselyswinging members pivotally supported at their upper ends upon the carstructure and operatively associated at their lower ends with saidchains and shaft to be swung inwardly below he level of the door whenclosed to relieve the strain on the chains.

13. I11 a door operating means, the combination comprising a door,transverse members extending below the door at the sides thereof, linkspivotally supported by said transverse members, a shaft carried by saidlinks and a chain connected with said door and shaft adapted to liftsaid door and swing said shaft under the door when in its closedposition.

1a. In a drop bottom car, the combination of a suspended swingingrotating shaft located below the car door when in a closed position andsuitable means for moving the swinging shaft from under the car doorwhen desired to open the car door, substantially as specified.

15. A drop bottom car door mechanism comprising in combination with thecar door, a swinging operating shaft with means for rotating same, aflexible connection from the shaft to the car door and shaft supportinglinks which transmit the load to the car body when the doors are closed,substantially as specified.

16. Car door mechanism comprising in combination with the car door, anoperating shaft, a swinging support from the car body for said operatingshaft, flexible connections from said operating shaft to said car door,

means for operating said shaft whereby said shaft moves to or from aposition beneath the car door as described.

17. In a dump car, the combination of a swinging operating shaftsupported from pivot points on the car body, flexible connections fromsaid swinging operating shaft to the ear doors, means for rotating saidshaft to or from a position below the car door when the door is closed,substantially as specified.

18. The combination in a car body, of car doors, swinging operatingshafts suspended from the car body, flexible connections from theswinging shafts to the car doors, suitable means for rotating theoperating shafts and for transferring the load from the shafts to thecar body when the doors are closed, substantially as specified.

19. The combination in a car body, of a series of car doors, swingingoperating shafts provided with attachments to the ear doors and meansfor rotating the shaft to or from a position below the car door,substantially as specified.

20. A car door mechanism adapted to support the car doors from the bodyof the car, comprising a swinging shaft, flexible connections to the cardoors for lowering and elevating the same, said swinging shaft when innormal position being below the doors when the doors are closed,substantially as specified.

21. In a dump car, of the class described, the combination of a carbody, car door and a door operating mechanism including an operatingshaft arranged to support the door directly through a link suspendedfrom above and pivoted to the car body, said shaft being flexiblyconnected to the car door, substantially as specified.

In a dump car of the class described, the combination of a car body, cardoor and a door operating mechanism, a swinging shaft supported from thecar body, flexible connection from said shaft to said car door, suitablemeans for actuating said shaft and all being arranged in such a mannerthat the shaft will be clear of the travel of the door during itsmovement, but in a position below the top plane of the door when closed,whereby said mechanism becomes a lock for the car door, substantially asspecified.

23. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door hingednear one edge thereof, a transversely movable winding shaftsubstantially parallel with the opposite edge of said door when the dooris closed, means connecting the door and shaft, means for locking theshaft in one position, and a trip on the door adapted to release thelocking means.

24:. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a doorhinged near one edge thereof, a transversely movable winding shaftmovable toward and from the opposite edge of said door, means connectingthe door and shaft, an automatically operable latch for looking theshaft out of the path of movement of said door, and means on the doorfor releasing said latch.

25. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door hingednear one edge thereof, a transversely movable winding shaft supportednear the opposite edge of said door when the door is closed, meansconnecting the door and shaft, and a latch mounted in position to engagesaid shaft when the door is open, and means adapted to release the shaftwhen the door is closing.

26. In a door operating device, the combination comprising a door hingednear one edge thereof, a transversely movable winding shaft, meansconnecting the door and shaft, and a gravity latch adapted to lock saidshaft in position out of the path of movement of the door.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name.

FREDERICK SEABERG. 'itnesses lVALTER A. Soorr, ANNA L. Var/roar.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

